help the new guy, really

[irdeggman]

Another Eberron option for a telepath is the Kalashtar racial substitution levels for a psion- telepath in Races of Eberron.

The get some pretty good substitute abiliites.

Increase ML for telepathic powers (will slow their power acquistion down for a few levels until they get the benefit of "extra" powers", compound psicrystal, etc.

 

[wildstarsreach]

Not so good in combat since Charm gets the save at +5 if the target is threatened or attacked.

Not bad out of combat due to it's duration, but Dominate is a lot stronger.

At 20th level with the right race or and items a DC 34 against Dragons is possible.

This is an extremely expensive Magic Missile.

11 PP at 11th level to do the same amount of damage that a 9th level Wizard does with a 1st level spell. Against a same level Fighter, you'd probably have to hit him 6 or so times with this (6 rounds 66 PP ~105 hit points) to take him down compared to hitting him twice with an Energy Ray (2 rounds 22 PP ~99 hit points).

Sure, it can have limited utility in that it can do nonlethal damage or it can damage objects, and it is autohit (if the opponent does not have spell resistance), but it is very pricey for the damage it does. It's hard to use it as a "knock out" power, but it can bust up a lock.

The only reason is to give the option of being able to do Force damage. Wizards have plenty of these types of spells. I don't know of any creatures that have force DR but plenty have either of Fire/Electrical/Cold DR and a few have sonic. That's the only reason for taking it.

Very few powers are concentration. So, unless you are doing the Control Body trick, this is almost a worthless power. And, many powers that are concentration have ways to increase their duration. For example, an extra one PP will take Psionic Dominate from concentration to one hour.

I only suggested it for the option if there were concentration required powers taken.

The rest of your suggestions are right on target (although I would suggest Psionic Meditation before ever taking Psicrystal Containment).

Absolutely. Thanks. You take psicrystal containment if you wish to use two metapsionic feats. An empowered split twin ray energy ray would be awesome and require 2 focuses. At 13th level a fire ray would do ~59 pts. An empowered ray wold do 75 pts. An empowered Split twin ray would do two beam each doing 41 pts. It is more pronounced at higher levels.

Below is my last Psion who was a Cerebramancer at 20th level. If I didn't have the wizard class, I would have taken these 4 other feats, Split twin Ray, Psicrystal containment and 2 expanded psionic knowledge.

Jadenian Hallistar 20th level
Psion Tele 7(17), Wiz 3(13), Cerebremancer 10, Level 1, 3 & 5 Kalashtar Tele replace lvl
XP 196965
Align: NG Race: Medium male humanoid (Kalashtar)
Init: +1/3 Senses Spot: +9 Search: +15 Listen: +6
Languages: Common, Quori, Riedran, Daan, Draconic, Orcish, Goblinoid
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AC: 21 Touch: 21 Flat-footed: 18 (20% miss chance)
HP: 111 (20 HD)
Fort: +13 (+1) Ref: +13 (+1) Will: +20 (+22 vs. mind) (+1 DP Feat)
SR (2 ch used) 20 (18) Special protection vs. death, ect from scarab
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speed: 30 ft. (45)
Melee: +9 with Staff 1d6 (5)
Ranged: +2 Lt crossbow +15 (1d8+3) (10), RT +13 < 30’, Ranged +12 > 30’
Base Attack: +9/+4; Grapple +8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contingency Body Adjustment (9d12) (@ less then 0 HP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scrolls:
1) Spell Vulnerability @ 9th level 2) Greater T-port x2 @ 18th lvl, 4xMM @ 9th lvl
3) 4) Scroll of Stone to Flesh @ 11th lvl, Unluck @18th lvl
5) Spell Vulnerability @ 18th level
Psionic Powers (ML 20th, PP 355) DC 20/ (22 for telp*) + pwr/lvl + aug Pts Spent:
9th (17) – Assimilate (DC 29, 70/105)
8th (15) – Greater Psionic Teleport (+6 people), Mind Blank, Planar Embrace
7th (13) - Energy Wave DC 27-31 #, Evade Burst, Energy Conversion
6th (11) – Disintegrate DC 26 (75/20\110/30 or 140/20\200/30), Mindswitch DC 27-32, Temporal Acceleration, Contingency
5th (9) – Psychic Crush* DC 26 (-1 hp or 30/45), Adapt Body, Mind probe* DC 26, Tower of Iron Will*, Celestial Conduit (DC 36, 70/100)
4th (7) – Dimension Door, Psychic Reformation, Schism*, Modify Memory* DC 26
3rd (5) – Body Adjust, Hostile Empathic Transfer* DC 24, Psionic Blast* DC 24, Stun Quori Spirit* DC 23-30
2nd (3) - Read Thoughts* DC 24, Levitate, Biofeedback
1st (1) – Energy Ray #, Entangling Ectoplasm, Force Screen * (+8 Defl bonus for 17 pts), Mind Link* (race 4/day free or cost), Mind Thrust* DC 22-33 (110/150), Psionic Charm* DC 23-34, Vigor (up to +100/135), Inertial Armor (+13 armor bonus for 19 pts)
#=“Cold 90/120, Fire 90/120, Electricity 70/95, Sonic 60/80” at full 20/18+2 PP
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spell Prepared: CL 17th
Spells memorized and Bonus Spells: (3x1st, 3x2nd, 2x3rd, 2x4th, 2x5th, 2x6th, 1x7th, 1x8th, 1x9th)
DC 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
20/21 20/22 20/23 20/24 20/25 20/26 20/27 20/28 20/29
2x7th – Limited Wish, Delayed Blast Fireball (90)
4x6th – Fire Spiders (15 rd), Mordy’s Lucubration x2, Repulsion
5x5th – Mass Fly, Greater Blink, Wall of Stone, Cone of Cold (55), Teleport
6x4th – Greater Invisibility, Orb of Acid (55), Stoneskin, Orb of Force (55), Orb of Electricity (55), Assay of
Spell Resistance
6x3rd - Bands of Steel, Dispel Magic, Spell Vuln, Resonating Bolt (25), Fireball (35), Lightning Bolt (35)
7x2nd – Scorching Ray x2 (3x15), Phantasmal Assailants, Mirror Image, Body of the Sun (20), Knock, Protection From Arrows,
7x1st – Magic missile x4 (20), Enlarge Person, Shield, Shocking Grasp (20)
4x0th – Detect Magic x3, Read Magic
Spell book:
0th Read Magic, Detect Magic, Light, Ray of Frost, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hands, Daze, Acid Splash, Detect Poison, Flare, Mending, Message, Arcane Mark, Resistance
1st Shield, Chill Touch, Mage Armor, Sleep, Identify, Expeditious Retreat, Mount, Color Spray, Cause Fear, Ray of Enfeeblement, Obscuring Mist, Disguise Self, Magic Missile, Tenser’s Floating Disc, Repair Light Damage, Enlarge Person, Shocking Grasp, Buzzing Bee, True Strike, Alarm
2nd Phantasmal Assailants, Familiar Pocket, Scare, Mirror image, Scorching Ray, Web, Knock, Arcane Lock, Spectral Hand, Baleful Transportation, Belker Claws, Body of the Sun, Bone Fiddle, Burning Sword, See Invisibility, Invisibility, Spider Climb, Rope Trick, False Life, Leomund’s Trap, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Protection From Arrows
3rd Lesser Crimson Bands of Cytorakk, Lightning Bolt, Fireball, Vampiric Touch, Spell Vulnerability, Spider skin, Hold Person, Resonating Bolt, Amorphous Form, Fly, Chain Missile, Dispel Magic, Anticipate Teleportation, Invisibility Sphere, Haste, Slow, Water Breathing, Secret Page, Greater Magic Weapon, Halt Undead, Stinking Cloud, Phantom Steed, Protection from Energy, Sepia Snake Sigil, Explosive Runes
4th Unluck, Burning Blood, Orb of Acid, Orb of Force, Orb of Electricity, Assay of Spell Resistance, Force Missiles, Greater Invisibility, Stoneskin, Polymorph, Evard’s Black Tentacles, Voice of the Dragon, Mass Enlarge Person, Wall of Fire, Wall of Ice, Assay of Spell Resistance
5th Feeblemind, Leomund’s Hidden Lodge, Teleport, Passwall, Cone of Cold, Permanency, Wall of Stone, Baleful Polymorph, Transmute Rock to Mud, Transmute Mud to Rock, Mass Fly, Greater Blink, Cloudkill, Break Enchantment, Telekinesis
6th Stone to Flesh, Mordenkainen’s Lucubration, Acid Fog, Fire Spiders, Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere, True Seeing, Cloak of the Sea, Flesh to Stone, Mordenkainen’s Sword, Eyebite, Veil, Mislead, Contingency, Chain Lightning, Greater Heroism, Globe of Invulnerability, Antimagic Field, Repulsion
7th Finger of Death, Greater Teleport, Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion, Statue, Limited Wish, Delayed Blast Fireball, Synostodweomer, Prismatic Spray, Greater Scrying, Banishment, Sequester, Spell Turning
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12 (16), Con 16, Int 24 (30), Wis 12, Chr 13 (19)
Action Points: 15 () + Temp (up to 13 () a day if under prophetic favor, one at a time)
Special Qualities: +2 race/saves vs mind affecting spells, +2 race bonus on Bluff, Diplo and Intim, Immune dream and nightmare spells, Mind link 4/day, 1 extra PP/level, -1 to all str based checks, Divine boon: Comp Lang 1/day @ 20th level, Perm See Invisibility
Feats: Summon Fam, Tele Talent, Psicrystal Affinity, Point Blank Shot, Empower, Precise Shot, Scribe Scroll (15421 Craft Points), Practiced Spellcaster, Dragon Proph (13xday, dur 19 rds), Alertness, Compound Psicrystal, Proph Hero, Practiced Manifester, Psionic Meditation, Psionic Luck
Skills (210): Auto Hypno (8) +10, Bluff (5) +11, Conc (23) +26, Dipl (16) +24, Intm (1) +9, Know (Arcana) (23) +33, Know (Dungeoneering) (11) +21, Know (History) (1)+11, Know (Psicraft) (23) +35, Know (Psionics) (23) +35, Know (Planar) (14) +25, Know (Religion) (17) +27, Know (Nobility & Royalty) (3) +13, Know (Local area) (3) +13, Lang (2, Orcish, Goblinoid), Listen (4) +6 PC, Move Silently (4) +8 PC, Search (5) +15 PC, Sense Motive (3) +3 PC (Sympathetic), Sleight of Hand (2) +6, Spellcraft (19) +31, Spot (7) +9 (PC Observant), Survival (2_1) +1, Use Psi Device (8) +10
Familiar & Psicrystal (PC):
PC: Str 1 Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 14, Con --, Chr 10, powers per book, has 2 personalities (Sympathetic and Observant) HP 55 AC 19, Touch 15 FF 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possessions:
Minor Cloak of Displacement, Heward’s Handy haversack, Psionatrix of Telepathy, Ring of Protection +3, Light Crossbow +2, Boccob’s Blessed Book, Circlet of Intelligence +6, Gloves of Dexterity +4, Metamagic Rod of Enlarge Spell, Metamagic Rod of Empower Spell, Metamagic Rod of Extend Spell, Greater Metamagic Rod of Maximize Spell, Wand of Magic Missiles CL 5 (41ch), Pearl of Power 1st lvl, Boots of Skating, Scarab of Protection, Portable Hole, White Robe of the Archmagi, Ring of Charisma +6, Ring of Three Wishes (+1 Chr, +2 Wis) (Dragotha Bonus +2 Con) (518780 total)

2 Vials of Drow Sleep Poison (150 GP) DC 13 for 2d4 hrs
Animated book of planes with cage (+1 circumstance Bonus to planar) (100 GP)

2024 GP 33 SP 4 CP
Bedroll Backpack, 1 lg and 2 sm sacks, flint and steel, 6 torches, 2 flasks of oil, 1 wk rats, 1 water skin, set of robes, set of monastic robes, and pair of boots

 

[wildstarsreach]

Another Eberron option for a telepath is the Kalashtar racial substitution levels for a psion- telepath in Races of Eberron.

The get some pretty good substitute abiliites.

Increase ML for telepathic powers (will slow their power acquistion down for a few levels until they get the benefit of "extra" powers", compound psicrystal, etc.

Yep and playing a Cerebramancer from 1-20 with the Psionics as the main and the wizard as the support is great. He was a Kalashtar with all 3 replacement levels.

 

[KarinsDad]

At 20th level with the right race or and items a DC 34 against Dragons is possible.

At that level, Dragons tend to have protections versus Mind Effecting effects. A simple first level Protection From Good (let alone Globe spells or even Mind Blank for slightly more powerful dragons) would stop this cold. Even if they do not have spells up which directly stop it, dragons at that level have innate ~+20 to Will saves and with a few items / spells, can easily get up to +25 to +30, +30 to +35 if in combat (due to the +5 of Charm).

And, that DC would be difficult for most Psions to achieve. 19 PP results in DC 20 + Int. You could get 2 more DC with Overchannel and about 9 from Int 22+ / +6 Headband (assuming a 17 or 18 Int start without insight bonuses which happens more often in builds than actual games), but those last 3 require special race/PrC/feat options which most Psions do not take.

Even with DC 34 (which would be rare), most equal challenge Dragons would save against this a good 80+% of the time and that is not even counting the slim chance of Spell Resistance stopping it (SR tends to not help as much at the real high levels).


All in all, Mind Effecting spells and powers in the game only work against mooks for the most part. It almost never works against BBEGs or Dragons or even decent NPC henchmen. I would not recommend them except as a side door way to influence mooks (e.g. "Take me to your leader, friend").

 

[wildstarsreach]

At that level, Dragons tend to have protections versus Mind Effecting effects. A simple first level Protection From Good (let alone Globe spells or even Mind Blank for slightly more powerful dragons) would stop this cold. Even if they do not have spells up which directly stop it, dragons at that level have innate ~+20 to Will saves and with a few items / spells, can easily get up to +25 to +30, +30 to +35 if in combat (due to the +5 of Charm).

And, that DC would be difficult for most Psions to achieve. 19 PP results in DC 20 + Int. You could get 2 more DC with Overchannel and about 9 from Int 22+ / +6 Headband (assuming a 17 or 18 Int start without insight bonuses which happens more often in builds than actual games), but those last 3 require special race/PrC/feat options which most Psions do not take.

Even with DC 34 (which would be rare), most equal challenge Dragons would save against this a good 80+% of the time and that is not even counting the slim chance of Spell Resistance stopping it (SR tends to not help as much at the real high levels).


All in all, Mind Effecting spells and powers in the game only work against mooks for the most part. It almost never works against BBEGs or Dragons or even decent NPC henchmen. I would not recommend them except as a side door way to influence mooks (e.g. "Take me to your leader, friend").

That is the thing with charm spells, it's a hail Mary. 10-20% chance for big payout could be worth it. I used this one from 1st-7th levels ad then started using it again at 17th when I realized the implications with the increased DC's. I like to keep my options open.

 

[KarinsDad]

That is the thing with charm spells, it's a hail Mary. 10-20% chance for big payout could be worth it. I used this one from 1st-7th levels ad then started using it again at 17th when I realized the implications with the increased DC's. I like to keep my options open.

Interesting.

I just do not recommend Hail Marys to people looking for character choices.

 

[wildstarsreach]

Interesting.

I just do not recommend Hail Marys to people looking for character choices.

I don't build my character around hail mary's but I like to have them for the rare times it may be necessary, it's good to have them. Our campaign that just ended, our paladin warforged, had Righteous aura up and as he died from Kyuss's blow took out Kyuss with the explosion from it. He died and defeated the final enemy.